Outside the door
nestled in the tall grass
white, a plume
gossamer, a gift
perhaps from a sky
finally blue
or a tear
for the summer’s
departure,
or, perhaps,
a promise,
down payment
on the freedom
from gravity
long sought
never attained.
gift
TOKUSAN’S ULTIMATE TEACHING 鐵笛倒吹 七十九
If the student asks the teacher
for greater knowledge
he will be met
with a blow from the stick.
If he asks again
the teacher will respond
I have nothing to give you.
Will you recognize
the greatest gift
when it is offered to you
or will you continue
to pursue its shadow.
A reflection on Case 79 of the Iron Flute koans.
ON THE BANKS
The river ignores us
for yet another day,
flowing despite our presence,
knowing the lake awaits.
As the rain lets up,
the sun appears
and sets the water ablaze
demanding our attention
and we gladly give it.
As our jacket shed
the last of the cloudy gifts,
the wind reminds us
that this moment
is one we will not
ever see again.
JOSHU’S DWELLING 鐵笛倒吹 七十
If a poor man offers you
the finest diamond
do you take it, and what
of the gift of a crust of bread
from the wealthy man.
Each gift, in its way,
is worthy of rejection.
Once I grasped at great thoughts –
now I can forget my own name
and wonder whose face it is
that I see in the mirror.
A reflection on Case 70 of The Iron Flute (Tetteki tōsui).
JIASHAN SEES THE FERRYMAN
You offer to me
that which I cannot take,
I refuse to give you
the one thing you can accept.
We each have nothing
and give nothing,
and are happy
for the perfect gift.
A musing on Case 90 of the Shobogenzo (Dogen’s True Dharma Eye)
DROP IT
It is a burden he does
not want to bear any longer,
one he would shed in a moment,
but there is no place to put it
and you cannot just leave it anywhere.
And so he continues to bear it
dragging it here, carrying it there,
always attached to it, and it to him.
He knows there are others
who bear far heavier burdens,
some with a smile, others begrudgingly.
He would gladly take up
their burdens, if he could only
be relieved of his, but he
cannot find anyone to take his,
and so he smiles and goes on,
for everyone wants something
and he has only nothing to offer
although that is the greatest gift,
for it is the gift of Buddha.
A reflection on Shūmon kattōshū Case 6 – Zhaozhou’s “Drop It”
